My View: GOP chairman out of touch with elected officials

Thursday

May 8, 2014 at 3:00 PM

On April 28 Jim Thompson, Chairman of the Winnebago County Republican Central Committee, published an openly racist “joke” involving President Obama in the party’s weekly electronic newsletter. The attitude that Mr. Thompson displayed by sending this email is completely unacceptable, and he should resign his position immediately.

In the 50 years since the passage of the Civil Rights Act, we have been working as a country to eradicate racist thinking. A person should be judged based upon his or her words and actions — not race, gender, or religion. In my lifetime I have seen the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court and the first African-American named chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And yes, I have seen the first African-American elected twice as president of the United States.

It is not unusual for the opposing party to vocally disagree with a sitting president. However, this discourse should always be centered around that person’s ideas, policies and actions. It should never be lowered to the base level of personal insults and racial slurs.

As a Republican elected official, I am personally appalled and embarrassed that a “joke” like Mr. Thompson’s could be sent out under the banner of my party. It runs contrary to everything I have experienced in my first year on the City Council.

Whether I am working with my fellow aldermen, meeting with County Board members, or reaching out to our representatives in the state legislature, the discussions are always professional and focused on the betterment of our community. They never take the tone seen in Mr. Thompson’s email. He is clearly out of touch with the elected officials.

Those of us in public life need to hold ourselves to higher standards. Our constituents look to us for leadership. We should deliver intelligent discourse, ideas based upon careful research, and a personal example that is above reproach.

By officially propagating objectively offensive material, Mr. Thompson shows that he lacks the judgement to be a public official. It is time for him to take ownership for his lapse and step down from his office.